Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2010-11: Julius Bergman skated for the lower division Karlskrona club in southern Sweden — playing in nine games with the club’s men’s team and another 15 games with the U20 squad. He had no points nor penalty minutes in Division 1 play with the men’s team. Bergman scored 5 goals with 5 assists in fifteen games (including one Kval series game) for the Karlskrona U20 team. He was an assistant captain for Sweden’s U16 team; scoring 2 goals with 3 assists and 8 penalty minutes in 11 games. Representing Blekinge in the TV-Pucken tournament for high school age players for the second year, he scored 2 goals with 4 assists and had 35 penalty minutes in eight games.

2011-12: Bergman skated for Karlskrona’s men’s team in Division 1 as a 16-year-old and played for Sweden in the 2012 U17 World Hockey Challenge. He scored 3 goals with 6 assists and was +13 with 47 penalty minutes in 36 regular season games. In the ten-game Kvalserien he scored 1 goal and was an even plus/minus with 12 penalty minutes as Karlskrona earned elevation to Allsvenskan for 2012-13. Bergman had 3 assists and 6 penalty minutes in six games at the WHC.

2012-13: Bergman split the season between Karlskrona in AllSvenskan and Frolunda in Sweden’s SuperElit league and played for Sweden’s U18 team in the 2012 Ivan Hlinka Memorial and 2013 World Junior Championship tournaments. He skated in 23 Allsvenskan games and was -12 with no points and 16 penalty minutes before being loaned to Frolunda. He scored 1 goal with 5 assists and was +5 with 6 penalty minutes in 15 regular season games and scored 1 goal with 2 assists — finishing +6 with 8 penalty minutes — in six SuperElit playoff games. Bergman had 1 assist and 12 penalty minutes in five games at the Ivan Hlinka tournament. He had 1 assist and was +2 with 4 penalty minutes in five games at the 2013 U18 WJC.

2013-14: Bergman was an assistant captain for Frolunda’s U20 team and played for Sweden’s U19 team in international play. Bergman was ranked 22nd amongst International skaters in Central Scouting’s mid-term rankings prior to the 2014 NHL Draft.

Talent Analysis

Bergman is a physically impressive defenseman who isn’t shy about throwing his body around. Skating is an asset as he likes to move and rush once he gets the puck in his own zone. Also is strong at making outlet passes. A player who gives the impression of being very alert and awake while on the ice, keeping active in all three zones. Bergman is developing very nicely in an offensive capacity and has shown some good blueline instincts. His shot is impressive and has improved considerably in a short period of time. Overall, he displays the right urgency in bringing the puck to the goal.

Bergman will have to learn to have a better read on when deciding to pinch in from the point. Must also make better decisions so as to avoid heading to the penalty box unnecessarily. A lot of his game will have to pick up in order to crack the next level, especially with all the competition on the blueline in the Frolunda organization.

Share this story

Photo: Kelowna’s Rourke Chartier is one of several San Jose Sharks prospects having a great season in the CHL. (courtesy of Marissa Baecker/Getty Images)

The San Jose Sharks prospect pool has improved greatly over the past season, quietly becoming one of the more respectable collections of prospects in the league. This surge is due in large part to the organizational desire to get younger, the 2014 NHL draft class, and the aggressive free agent signings of Barclay Goodrow and Nikita Jevpalovs.

Share this story

Photo: Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds defenseman and Edmonton Oilers prospect Darnell Nurse won gold with Team Canada at the 2015 World Junior Championship, and he is poised to make a run at the OHL championship with the Greyhounds (courtesy of Terry Wilson/OHL Images

The OHL has long been known for providing elite offensive forward talent to the NHL. Defensemen facing that type of player on a regular basis should result in a comparable coterie of elite defensive prospects whose talents have been honed by facing such formidable opposition. Read more»

Share this story

Photo: MODO forward and Toronto Maple Leafs prospect William Nylander will lead the offense for Sweden at the 2015 World Junior Championship (courtesy of Gerry Angus/Icon Sportswire)

The drama last winter in Sweden at the 2014 World Junior Championship could hardly be topped. Playing at home in front of crowds sized larger than 12,500 per game, Team Sweden defeated one opponent after another with a literal dream team of U20 athletes. Then they faced the tourney’s upstart team, and their archrival, Finland and it seemed the stars were aligned for a victory parade that few Swedish junior teams had ever topped. Winning the WJC in their home country would have been a story ripe for Hollywood.Read more»

Share this story

Photo: San Jose Sharks prospect Kevin Labanc has had an impressive second season with the Barrie Colts (courtesy of Aaron Bell/OHL Images)

In recent seasons, junior hockey has been a hotbed of talent for the San Jose Sharks. Just last year, Mirco Mueller, Chris Tierney and Barclay Goodrow were all in the CHL. That’s three young talented prospects that have already contributed with the big club this season.

Share this story

Photo: Freddie Hamilton has NHL-caliber skill, but a poor training camp has relegated him to the AHL for now. (courtesy of John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images)

The first few weeks of the the 2014-15 season have provided an early glimpse of what San Jose Shark fans can expect going forward during the youth movement in San Jose. General manager Doug Wilson has not shied away from injecting young, inexperienced players into his roster. Read more»